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Donald Trump versus…Oprah?

Amazing what a few days can do. I was going to write this blog a few days ago but managed to not get it done – procrastination is the one thing I always find time for – and then yesterday happened, like it usually does one day ago. Obama finally released his long-form birth certificate. Before the birthers got all birthy, I didn’t realize there were different forms of birth certificates. I just have my ratty old beat-up certificate; I’d like to see what the extended remix of it would look like. So Obama released his long form – scuze me while I whip this out! – and made himself a winner and a loser. Winner because this should ( I say should because I know it won’t) end the speculation about his citizenship, loser because Donald Trump and his followers made him do it. Even when Obama wins, he loses. It’s hard out there for a brutha.

So that is now, but back then when the seed for this post was planted, there was talk (and yes, I know there still is) about Trump running for president and I heard people saying they would vote for him. The main reason given was this: he’s a good businessman and he could turn this country around. Later in the conversation, Oprah was brought up and there was a general consensus that she’s not liked, and the reasons for the notlike were vague. One thing that was brought up was the episode in which Oprah gave a car to every member of the audience, and did you know that some of those people couldn’t keep the cars because they couldn’t pay the taxes on them? As if it was her fault they couldn’t pay the taxes and she somehow did it intentionally, and it was just a tax break for her.

These two conversations, so close together, made me think about the possibility of Trump running for president – he won’t – and people wanting to vote for him. I then connected the dots (just two of them, all it made was a line) and realized that everybody who wants to vote for Trump really wants to vote for Oprah. If she wasn’t a woman, and black, and had that annoying show that soccer moms love.

Consider this: the reason usually given for wanting to vote for Trump is that he’s a good businessman. Well, Trump certainly got a head start on being a good businessman by inheriting $35 million from his dad. Having that to fall back on certainly makes taking risks a bit easier. Also consider that while his personal wealth has remained, with fluctuations, his companies don’t have a great track record. Bankruptcy is not an uncommon word for Trump businesses, and yet he’s promoted as a great businessman. Why? Because people see the flash and are dazzled by the light, I suppose. If you look at Trump as a person, he seems like a smug SOB. Even people who don’t personally like him say they would vote for him.

Now, let’s look at Oprah. One of the most successful women in the world, her net worth is currently estimated at $3 billion. With a B, billion. That’s like 999 million three times over, plus a few mil in eff-you money. How did she do it? Hard work, determination, and being a savvy businessman. She grew up dirt poor and spent time living with her grandmother when her mom couldn’t take care of her. From the ages of 9-13 she was sexually abused by her cousin and her uncle. Despite that atrocity, despite growing up in the poorest of situations, she picked herself up and made herself into what she is today. She ranks as the top black philanthropist in the world. You couldn’t ask for a better role-model than Oprah.

For the reasons people say they’d vote for Trump, they should be saying they’d vote for Oprah. Oprah is the true American success story; Trump was born with all the advantages and used them well.